Once More, With Feeling
by RIP Amaze Liar
Summary: Sequel to The Definition of Love. 50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose.  Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.
1. Back At One

**Once More with Feeling**

Sequel to The Definition of Love. Read that one first. Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.

50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose.

Don't own anything.

Flashbacks are in bold.

AN:

Yes, this is the promised sequel to The Definition of Love. Took me a while, but it is finally here.

As I have already said several times to those who asked, it took me this long because I was working in two different timelines, so I needed the story finished before I began posting it. It is not exactly done, but I'm pretty sure that I already decided everything that's gonna happen each chapter.

Just to be clear, bold means that it is in the past, just after the definition of love ended.

Also, I always start a chapter thanking those who reviewed the last one and commenting on it, I figured it would be weird start a story that way, so I'll reply individually to those. Unfortunately, I can't do that to those who reviewed anonymously, but I appreciate it regardless.

There was something else I wanted to say, but I seem to have forgotten it now. Maybe I'll tell you later.

Well, I hope you like this one. ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Back at One<strong>

It was the middle of the night, living among humans made me tend to keep track of things like that, but I needed to shift my head a little to the right so that I could see just how late.

00:57 A.M.

Not exactly a time that someone would expect visitors. But then again, I guess it had been a long time since any of my visitors chose to follow that kind of protocol.

I sat in the living room, alone. The lights were off. The only sound a human would be able to hear would be the television. It was showing some new series that wouldn't hold my attention. To me, they had gotten boring a long time ago. Always the same.

It had been the same for the last fifty years.

50 years.

It does go by fast.

That was the time that I hadn't been human.

Fifty years ago, I had been turned by my best friend and for the last fifty years I have been learning to live life as a vampire.

It had been so long ago, that I struggled to remember my human memories, my past. Those images weren't clear, not like my eyes could show me now.

I could recognize a person by their scent. I could move faster than a racing car. I could beat 100 men without bating an eyelash. I could tell the difference between silence and the drop of a needle.

And I could hear more than just the television. I could hear their steps, even if they moved, oh, so quietly.

I didn't want to be found, but they had figured out my location. They were standing on my porch.

Not many people knew where I lived, just two men, actually. Someone had been a snitch, and I would have to have a little talk with him later.

But, not now.

Because now, I would have to deal with the seven figures standing outside of my door.

I looked at the clock again.

00:59 A.M.

They didn't knock, but they knew that I had noticed them standing on my porch. They were waiting for me to decide if I wanted to see them. Kinda respectful, I guess.

But really, I didn't. Want to see them, I mean. But I figured it was the least I could do. After all they had taken care of me when others would have thrown me out.

Slowly and deliberately, I made my way towards the door. My steps were quiet and graceful like any other creature of the night. Something I could have never even dreamed of accomplishing as a human.

No, it had been quite the other way around, I had been one of the most uncoordinated humans alive. Knocking things over, tripping over my own two feet, getting my limbs broken more times than I could count. It makes me wonder if I was meant to be a vampire all along.

I opened the door, slowly, trying to prolong the inevitable, knowing that I would have to come face to face with my past.

"Hello" I was the first to speak. I didn't say it to anyone in particular, but it was the leader of that coven that answered me.

"Hello, Bella. It's been a long time."

"Yes, Carlisle. It has. Would you like to come in?"

I stepped aside to allow them entrance, respectfully as any host should be, but not in any way welcoming.

And one by one they entered my home. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice and Edward. The Cullens. The whole coven, back together as I had predicted.

At least, I could free myself from the guilt of breaking them apart. It also gave me confirmation that I had made the right choice when I left.

"You have a beautiful home, Bella." Esme told me, looking at my living room. I wasn't inclined to show them the rest of the house. I wanted them gone as soon as possible.

It is not like I disliked them, quite the contrary actually. I used to think of them as my second family when I was dating Edward, and I will always be forever thankful for them taking me in once I had been turned. It would have been so easy to just leave me to fend for myself. But they had given me a home, they protected me, they taught me the basics to survive.

I couldn't have asked for anything better than the Cullens. I cared for every single one of them (Rosalie included, shockingly I know), but I wanted peace, I wanted to be free of the turmoil that inhabited my head at the time I had lived with them.

"Thank you. Would you like to sit down?" I offered, and then I suddenly remembered that they didn't need to. I guess I had grown accustomed to living among humans.

None of them commented on it though, they simply complied with my request. I remained standing.

"So, what can I do for you?" I asked, I wanted to end this as soon as possible. I think I may have shocked them with my directness. But I didn't want to be caught in that web any longer.

"We came to talk to you. We weren't sure of what had become of you. For a while, we considered the idea of your demise." Carlisle responded.

I noticed that the others were quiet, too quiet. Carlisle and Esme aside, of course.

Emmett wasn't cracking any jokes, Edward had yet to give his opinion on something, and Alice was sitting still. Not that it was weird for a vampire, but it was weird for Alice. The little pixie was always so full of life, and movement. She was unique.

Rosalie was Rosalie, and she never made any effort to talk to me, so I saw no reason for her to start now. And Jasper, well, we can leave that for another time.

But they all had a sullen look on their faces, I wondered what had happened. They were all here, so no one had died. At least, not unless the Cullen clan had gotten and lost another member in the last 50 years.

"I'm fine. Still alive, as you can see."

I could see from my peripheral view that Edward chose that moment to look at me, or maybe I should say, stare at me. Like he used to do a long time ago, back when we were still together.

It was kinda familiar. Sweet in his own right. I'm not sure how I should feel about that, but I realized that it didn't really bother me, so whatever, right?

Besides I was probably just imagining things. After all, what kind of person, in their right mind, would look at someone the way I figured that he was looking at me after finding out that this person had cheated on them with their sister?

Yeah, my imagination was running wild tonight. So, I decided to let Edward look at whatever it is that he was looking at, and get back to the conversation with Carlisle.

"Indeed. And I'm glad to be able to confirm it. But I wonder, what happened to you during all this time?" I had seen the Cullens only once after I left them. It had been an accident, a mistake on my part.

One I wasn't planning on making again.

"Different places, different people. Different times. I've just been walking around, seeing the world. What about you, anything interesting happened in the last 50 years?" I asked not really interested in the answer.

"No, we have just been looking for someone." That was the first time that Alice had spoken tonight, actually, it was the first time that she actually looked at me. Her gaze penetrated me, but I stood my ground, looking right back at her.

"Who?"

"You." Our staring contest continued, but I wasn't gonna flinch away. She got to keep her husband, but she held no power over me. I didn't love Alice. I never had.

"Well, I'm here. But I'm still not sure what you want from me." I told them in general, still looking at Alice. This time, she looked away, down to her lap, where it had been ever since I saw her.

"We missed you, Bella." Emmett said, and I knew he wasn't joking around this time, he was dead serious, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to that. Not after everything. I didn't want this to start all over again. I had finally found peace.

This was the place I couldn't move away from. It was not like the other times that I could simply turn around and move to the next city, the next adventure. There was something binding me to this place, or rather, someone.

And now the Cullens knew where I lived, they could come by whenever they wished. Hopefully, this would be a onetime thing.

"We wondered, Bella, if you would allow us to continue seeing you on a regular basis?" Carlisle asked me.

"What?" This is not good. This is so not good.

"May we live in this city with you, Bella?" Esme clarified.

That question caught me by surprise. Why would they even want to live here? Didn't they remember I almost ended their family the last time that happened? Couldn't they find somewhere else to move to? I'm sure that there was a city somewhere they could set up their house quite nicely.

Besides, we were in Brighton, UK. At some period in time, it had once been used to sea bathing. You know, it had a beach! With a sun. A freaking sun.

It didn't matter to me, seeing that I didn't shine (something that I had once considered one of my biggest flaws and now came really in hand), but they were vampires that looked like sparkly stones when hit by sunlight.

What could they possibly want here?

"You are allowed to live wherever you want. But, if you chose to live here, I ask that you give me my space, we can skip any unnecessary meetings."

I knew that I had sounded incredibly rude, especially after everything they have done for me. Their expressions were one of astonishment, but couldn't they see it?

The headache that this could possibly bring.

Didn't they remember?

"We can't force you feel differently, Bella, but hopefully, in time, you will let us in once again." Carlisle told me.

I didn't respond, I didn't want to give him false hope, but at the same time, I had already been offensive enough to them. Let him believe in whatever it was that he wanted to.

There was a movement upstairs, and, for a moment, the Cullens looked shocked.

Didn't they know? I figured that they already knew it.

Was it the first time that they had noticed the heartbeat upstairs?

I know that it was soft and slow, as she was sleeping, but were they so careless that they could be caught by surprise by a human?

I had to be alert all the time, fully aware of my surroundings. You never knew from where they would attack you first. And I was the only one I could count on to defend myself.

They relied too much on their numbers. Not many would attack them, they were one of the biggest clans that existed and they had a telepath, an empath and a seer.

They had gotten lazy.

I looked at the clock once again. 03:42 A.M.

It was too early for her to be up yet, she is probably just going to the bathroom or something. A few minutes later, this was confirmed as I heard her get back to bed and her breathe get back to an even, softer pattern.

They were looking at me, questioning me with their eyes. I felt no urge to answer their questions. I didn't want them knowing everything about me. Or her.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, this was quite enlightening already. I hope that we are allowed to see more of you soon, Bella." Their elder told me and they made their way towards the door. And I let them. I wanted them to go, but some part of me was urging them to stay.

Alice didn't even spare me a glance as she left. And that did not bother me. Not at all.

Edward, on the other hand, let his fingers softly graze by my arms as he passed me by. It felt intimate and, at the same time, casual. It had been quite a long time since the last time he touched me like this. It was… nice. Comforting.

"Feel free to contact us at anytime" Esme told me. She was the last one standing in my living room, and just after she said that, she joined the others outside.

I watched them walk outside from my porch, thinking back to the time I lived with them.

First I had been so sure that I had been in love with Edward, but I quickly (if you can consider 2 years to be quick, and to a vampire, it is) discovered that I was wrong.

Then I considered my feelings towards Alice, I had wondered if our friendship had evolved into something more, at least from my side. I came to the conclusion that I was confusing my lust and the fact that she was my sire as something akin to love.

I had my eyes open now.

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><p>And that's it for now. I promise to try to update this semi regularly. ;)<p>

Please review.


	2. We Are Young

**Once More with Feeling**

Sequel to The Definition of Love. Read that one first. Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.

50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose.

Don't own anything.

Flashbacks are in bold.

AN:

Thanks to Aaronexus, Jenara, bec89, EditorFin, Raventear and wsupAnonnymous for the reviews. I really appreciate it. ;)

Aaronexus, glad you liked it ;)

And I'm trying to work on it… like I read this chapter like 10 times looking for things like that…. Also, how can I write speech from old people, different from the younger's, and not make it feel weird?

Jenara, glad you liked it… but not much mystery…. I can't seem to hold on to secrets for very long…. Lol

bec89, hauhauhau…. Well, in that case, you will get a glimpse here… let's see what happened… or at least a small part of it… ;)

EditorFin, im not sure I can say that there won't be anything between them, but I can take your vote as 'no' to Edward…. And little secret: I'm not particularly fond of him either…. Lol

Raventear, thank god you can live with a normal world… I would be very worried about you if you couldn't …. o.0

But, yeah… there won't be any ships flying around…. Unless you ask my dad for help me write those futuristic, crazy things you see in movies… I don't have that much imagination…. Lol

No Angelina jolie and monica bellluci, but we can always try that now…. ;)

It would certainly be a very good addition to the story ;)

Not in this one though, not alice either, but something tell me that you won't be that disappointed….

wsupAnonnymous, I guess that makes two votes against Edward… tell me what's confusing you, and ill try to explain…. Unless you want to know about the future…. Then that is a no can do…. ;)

That's about it, I think….

And if somebody didn't notice the bold, this is 50 years in the past. ; P

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**Chapter 2 – We Are Young**

**I wasn't sure for how long I ran, I had nowhere in mind to go to. Nowhere to be. **

**But I guess my feet carried me to the place they knew best. To my upmost surprise, the moment I stopped I was standing just outside my father's window. **

**I could see Charlie inside, he was just watching some game I couldn't even recognize (probably baseball), but what would once have managed to capture all of his attention, could barely keep him awake. There was a beer sitting in the table in front of him, as well as some sort of attempt at cooking. I didn't want to imagine what he had tried to make. **

**He looked thinner. **

**I wish I could walk through the door and make him a decent meal. But I couldn't. I shouldn't.**

**Contact with humans was something new to me, and I didn't want to risk his life anymore than I already had just by being here. An entire town of people that I didn't know was okay. My father, absolutely not.**

**Eventually, he got enough energy to carry his plate to the kitchen and went up to the stairs. He took a shower, while I waited downstairs. That was not something I wanted to watch my father doing.**

**After that, he just threw something on and got into his bed, but I could see that his sleep wasn't exactly restful. **

"**You trying to decide whether or not to kill him?" A voice said from behind me, catching me off guard.**

**Jacob. **

**How did he get there? And why hadn't I noticed him sooner? Argh! How did I let a werewolf sneak up on me? Shouldn't I have been able to hear him approaching? Smell him? What kind of vampire am I? **

**Not a very good one apparently. **

**Jacob continued to stare at me. To me, his question had been rhetorical, apparently to him, it was not. He was waiting for an answer. It hurt that it wasn't pretty obvious.**

"**I just missed him." He nodded and we continued to watch my father as he rolled around in bed and mumbled in his sleep.**

**There was something in his eyes when he looked at me that I hadn't been able to place, but I couldn't see it anymore. He had his face hidden from me, as he looked straight ahead. His body was hard, showing tension. I wasn't exactly relaxed either.**

"**You know, if the others find you here, they will kill you."**

"**I know." I know I should actually care about that, but I guess I was still numb from everything that happened in the last few… Days? Months? Ever since I became a vampire? I don't know. **

**How long had that been exactly?**

**Finally, something in what he had said caught my attention. **

"**Does that mean you're not gonna do it?" His eyes looked surprised for a moment, and Jacob looked directly into my eyes again, showing me his internal debate. Then he hid his face from me. **

"**I should." **

"**But you won't" I pressed, but I didn't get an answer. He was too ashamed to admit it.**

**Staring at the window outside my father's house, I finally understood Jacob's face. I saw my reflection looking back at me, one that I hadn't seen in a long time. My eyes were still red. It was faint, in a way that a human couldn't see it, as up until now, no one had taken a second look at it. But I could see it, and apparently, Jacob could see it too.**

**Did he just agree on not killing me thinking that I had killed a human? **

**For a moment I considering correcting him, telling him the truth, but I chose not to. It meant so much more that someone would choose me over their destiny.**

"**Where are the others?" He was asking about the Cullens, and it brought a bitter smile to my lips.**

"**I don't know. I left them." Jacob looked furious for a moment, but soon recovered. I wondered what this was about.**

"**Any special reason?" I ignored it. If he got to not respond to some of my questions, I got to do the same. **

**We stood there quietly, I was watching my father, and Jacob was watching me, looking for some kind of answer. Eventually he got the hint and got over it. Or so I thought.**

"**You smell different." What? Did he really have to bring that up? Everyone got the point. Vampires smell bad to werewolves and vice-versa. "You are different from the others. Vampires, I mean. I almost didn't smell you. I almost didn't sense you here."**

**Well, was this another failure of mine? Besides my apparently incapably to shine under the sun, I also didn't smell like a vampire? Just great. **

**But at least now I knew it hadn't just been me being a naïve and untrained vampire. I was still having some trouble picking up on his scent, even knowing that he was just standing right here besides me.**

"**You don't stink so badly either." It was the first smile I had seen in his face in a long time. It had been so constant in his face the time we spent together, after Edward left me the first time and before he became a werewolf. I missed it, I couldn't even remember the last time I had seen it.**

**It was also gone as soon as it appeared. **

**I wanted to ask him what he was doing so close to my house, I wondered if he visited my father often, but I remained silent. His presence was comforting, the silence was calming me. I didn't want to break it. But he did.**

"**Bella, you really can't stay here. If they see you…" Dead. Got it.**

"**I know." But I really didn't have anywhere to go. What am I supposed to do with myself now? I wanted to stay here.**

**I took a deep breath, preparing myself to start running again. I gave my father a silent goodbye.**

"**Take care of him, will you?" I asked Jacob, but I wasn't waiting for an answer. I had just started moving when he held onto my arm. **

"**Underwater, Bella. So that they can't follow you." Werewolves needed to breathe, vampires didn't. **

**He was still protecting me, when he should be burning my remains. I nodded, but I didn't know where to go. I didn't have to ask, he started running, and I knew he was expecting me to follow. I did it without a second thought. **

**After all, he was still Jacob. My Jacob.**

**We ran together, silently. He was still in human form, he couldn't change into a wolf, otherwise the others would read his mind and know that I was here. His human form was much slower than me, but I didn't mind. It was enough.**

**I found myself at the same cliff I had jumped some time ago, the same one that had made Alice come back for me. She wouldn't do it this time.**

"**La Push. Really, Jacob?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It was what was keeping me from breaking down.**

"**All of Forks is ours now. The chance of finding someone patrolling this area and your house is the same." But it wasn't my house anymore, it was Charlie's house now. Only Charlie's.**

"**Considering that I found you there, does that mean that the chances are that we will find someone here?"**

"**I wasn't on patrol tonight, Bella." I looked confused and he continued. "Your father took your deat-… disappearance really hard. I just like to check up on him once in a while." That sent me another wave of guilt. I wanted to go back, talk to him. But I couldn't. It wasn't safe for either of us for me to stay. I would either kill him, or I would get killed by the werewolves.**

"**Thank you." It was the best I could do, and I hoped that it was enough, because really, I was incredible thankful for what Jacob was doing. If I could think of someone to take care of Charlie for me, it would be Jacob.**

"**Don't mention it." **

**We both knew it was time for me to leave, but I was still stalling. 5 more minutes. **

**I was standing in front of him, with my back to the cliff. The sun was coming up, and I knew there was no more time. I hugged him, fully expecting him to push me away. To my surprise and delight, he hugged me back, as strongly as I was hugging him. Closer than he should. Longer than I could.**

**His body was hotter than I remembered. In both senses of the word. **

**The temperature I felt could easily be explained by my colder skin. **

**But even though I had always thought that Jacob as handsome, it came to a surprise to me how aroused he made me feel. **

**I could feel every part of his hard body on me, his breathe was grazing my skin and his lips were so close to my shoulders I could almost feel it touch me. My face was pressed against his chest, and I could smell him. And it smelled good. It was making me wet. I knew he felt it too, I could feel IT against my belly, and I almost moaned out loud.**

**It caught me by surprise. Besides Alice, no one had made me feel like this, even though I was a newborn vampire in need of sex.**

**I wanted him. I really did.**

**I let him go before I did something I would regret.**

**I started walking backwards, towards my unknown future, as his broken face stared at me. He wanted me gone about as much as I wanted to leave. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he wished I stayed with him. And somehow I knew, that even though we both desired each other, sex wasn't the only reason he wanted me around. **

**But I needed to go, and he had to stay. He had once told me that he would run away with me if he could, but it was his destiny to protect the people here in La Push.**

"**Take care." Jacob told me resigned to the fact that I couldn't live here. And then he realized it. His shocked expression as he stared at my skin told me as much. "Bella, the sun! You are not-"**

**I let out a sad smiled and a shrug. He was the first one that I had ever told (or something very close to it) it to. It was fitting, after all he had done for me. After all the times he protected me, he would be the one to know my flaw.**

"**Go figure, right?" And with one last step, I felt myself falling backwards. "See ya." **

**It was different this time. **

**I knew it the moment I hit the water. The current wasn't strong enough to move my body. My lungs weren't begging for air. I wasn't scared. **

**My limbs started moving on their own accord, away from the cliff, away from Forks. **

**Away from Jacob.**

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that was it... hope you liked it ;)

Please review.


	3. Blood Ties

**Once More with Feeling**

Sequel to The Definition of Love. Read that one first. Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.

50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose.

Don't own anything.

Flashbacks are in bold.

AN: thanks to Emerald Demona, Jenara, Bela23, wsupAnonnymous, bec89 and Raventear for the reviews…. :)

Emerald Demona, did they say goodbye? I hadn't noticed…. Lol

Jenara, thanks…. I promise to count your vote when I'm deciding….But I can tell you is that she will have to work for it…. ;)

Bela23, I meant that Alice wouldn't be in the last chapter… she is in this one…. Don't worry…. Lol

I promise to count your vote too….

wsupAnonnymous, I don't know… I think you can make your own mind about that….. Personally, I believe in the Kinsey scale…so…;)

bec89, I'm glad that you liked it… don't worry, if that happens, Alice will have to fight for it… ;)

Raventear, blaming the planets again, I see… that makes me even more worried…. Hauhauah… is it safe to assume that I should count your vote as against Alice?

And let's not forget, a really big thank you to Raventear for her awesome beta work…. God knows I wasn't making her job any easier….. lol…..so, really, thank you! ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Blood Ties<strong>

He hadn't last an entire day. Seriously. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? Just 24 freaking hours.

Emily had fallen asleep, and I had been leaning on the doorstep, watching her during her peaceful slumber.

Edward had told me once, he found it entertaining to watch me sleep. I had always thought it was because he didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable for needing it.

Now being on the other side of the equation, I could finally understand the appeal.

It felt like you could see a person at their most intimate moment, the moment they let their guard down. See them for whom they really were. Not that it was really necessary with Emily. She liked to wear her heart on her sleeve, but it was nice to see her without the world on her shoulders.

She had already seen more than most people would, and should, during a lifetime. It wasn't really fair for her and the fact she remained so optimistic, sweet, brave and so trusting after all she had been through, made me want to hug her and never let go.

Anyway, I was happily watching Emily sleep when I first heard a knock on my front door. I knew who that was, I had already heard him before he knocked. I answered the door. After all it could be an emergency.

I would have expected him to know better...

But no.

The second I opened the door Emmett ran past me, like a hurricane, straight to the television set. He immediately started messing up my entertainment system configuration, with some excuse about hooking up the latest video game. I was left standing by the front door, staring at him in bewilderment.

Mere seconds after recovering my senses, I slammed the door shut probably making a bit too much noise.

"What's the emergency?" I asked him. My voice might have had a slight tone of irritation. Still it should be considered a victory I hadn't growled at him.

Only yesterday I had informed him and the rest of his family, to seek for me only if necessary.

"I needed my video game buddy back. I can't play with Edward or Alice, it's just ridiculous. Jasper is always depressed. And Carlisle, Esme and Rose just don't like to play." Emmett said way too fast for a human to understand.

He finally finished setting the cables on the right places and was about to turn the damn thing on.

"Keep it down, Emily is sleeping." I scolded him, and rolled my eyes as I picked up the controller. It must have been the latest controller and system design, because it had much more buttons than I remembered. I really hadn't been keeping track.

"Don't worry, I got this." he said.

Emmett paused, as he realized the confused look on my face, and took a moment to explain the use for each button before turning the game on.

True to his word, he kept the sound volume low. Not that it was an inconvenience, we were vampires after all. Our hearing was far better than the average human. Especially one sleeping a floor above with their door closed.

The game seemed like a simple "first person shooter game". For the first couple of rounds, I was having my ass handed to me. As I started to get the gist of it, Emmett was finding it harder and harder to win, until finally I pumped my fist in the air. It was followed closely by a long, loud "NOOOO..." that echoed in the room.

It took every bit of my self control not to kick him in the nuts for it.

"What part of -keep quiet- didn't you understand?" I seethed at him, but it was already too late. I could hear Emily shifting and lifting her covers, ready to come downstairs and check the source of the noise that had woke her up. I would definitely have to talk to her about this kind of behavior later.

Curiosity killed the cat, and all that.

I made my way upstairs as fast as I could, but she was already downstairs. Damn her and her annoying powers...

Didn't I tell her to not use them inside the house? Who knew who could be inside? Granted, we didn't receive a lot of visitors... but she had just heard a weird noise. It was only common sense to assume that we weren't alone.

Haven't I taught her anything?

I rushed back down. I knew what her reaction would be once she spotted Emmett.

"AHHHHH!" I heard her scream. I was right behind her the moment she stumbled back. She fell right into my arms, but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were fixed on him.

I picked her up in my arms like she weighted nothing, and held her tight.

"Emmett is not going to hurt you. He is an old friend of mine." I whispered in her ear before planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Emmett, this is Emily. She's been living with me ever since she lost her family."

Emmett kept staring at her. I could only assume he was trying to decide what to make of her. Emily was a 6 year old, 1,25m (4,1 ft) and 22 kg (48,5 lb) little girl with brown hair and pale blue eyes that looked almost white.

She was special.

"Hello, there, little girl" Emmett said finally, as he waved at her with a goofy smile. "I'm Emmett and I'm sorry if I scared you. I come in peace." He said lifting his right arm as if taking an oath. I rolled my eyes, smirking.

He knew I was amused, and I must admit I had kind of missed him.

She spared one glance at me before turning to look at Emmett again.

"Are you a vampire?" Emily asked. Did I mention that she was a little blunt?

Emmett's eyes widened with surprise, so I answered for him.

"Yes. But he is not going to hurt you. He is one of the good ones."

She started glancing between me and Emmett, until her eyebrows drew together and she frowned. She took a particular interest in his honey-colored eyes. She glanced once more towards me for confirmation before extending her arm at his direction.

"Hello. My name is Emily Sullivan. It is a pleasure to meet you" She said with all the confidence and seriousness a 6 year old could master. Especially one dressed in fluffy pajamas and cradled in my arms.

"Hi, little girl. It is a pleasure to meet you too." Emmett replied, extending his hand to shake hers. It was difficult to tell who was the child and who was the adult by the look they had on their faces.

"No, not little girl. My name is Emily Sullivan, you may call me Emily. And just so you know, I'm quite tall for my age. I'm currently 6 years and 9 months and I already am 1,25m" She told him and I held back a chuckle. She felt mildly offended every time someone treated her as a child.

"I can see that. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult your height." He replied, but I could sense he was trying to refrain from laughing. A soft smile was on my lips as I was watching the two of them interact.

Emily tugged at my shirt, indicating she wanted to be put down.

"May I offer you a drink? Some blood perhaps? We have an extensive collection of different animal blood that, I'm sure, would spark your interest."

Emmett gazed blankly at me, probably pondering Emily had completely lost her mind. He wanted an explanation.

"So, want anything?" I simply asked.

"Hum… Mountain lion, if you have it."

"Sure." I said and walked back to the kitchen to get his drink. I had only managed two steps before Emily ran to my side and placed her hand into mine. She didn't want to be alone with him yet, and I definitely couldn't blame her for it...

I walked into the pantry, it was where I kept the blood freezer hidden behind a concealed door to the right. I didn't want to store it in the normal fridge in case I had visitors someday and someone opened it

Emily waited for me inside the pantry, while Emmett stayed by the kitchen's doorstep.

I walked into the secluded room and rummaged through the fridge for the mountain lion blood. After a bit of shuffling around, I found it and walked out, followed by Emily. I poured some of it in a cup and left the rest of the bag on the counter.

Emmett seemed pleasantly surprised and moved eagerly to take the cup. I raised my hand to stop him. I wouldn't serve him cold blood. For a moment, he seemed like he was about to fight me for it.

I would like to see him try.

I put it inside the microwave and turned it on the appropriate amount of time.

We waited in silence until it beeped. I took it out and handed the cup to Emmett. He almost snatched it off my hands and swallowed it all in one go.

"More?" I asked. He nodded.

I did the same ritual another 3 times before he was satisfied.

"Don't you want some too?" He asked, now his hunger had been satiated. I shook my head.

He stared curiously at me, obviously wanting some kind of an explanation as to why I had a stock of blood in my house. I ignored his inquiring stare and turned to the clock on the wall.

"You need to sleep," I told Emily. "You have school tomorrow."

She looked at me and opened her mouth ready to complain but she held her tongue when I raised my eyebrow at her.

"Tuck me in?" She asked and I nodded.

Before having the slight chance to act, my head was spinning and I was standing inside her room. Emily was climbing onto her bed.

I hated it when she teleported me.

It made me nauseous, something I hadn't felt ever since I was turned. Except for those times that, you know, she teleported me in the past, but I think that goes without saying.

After I tucked her under the covers, I sat on the side of her bed.

"Goodnight, sweetie." I said while caressing the top of her hair with my fingertips. "Have some wonderful dreams."

"Be careful downstairs, okay?" She said and turned on her side. She could barely keep her eyes open.

She was a very trusting child, but if there was one thing that she couldn't trust right away, it was a vampire. Ironic, I know.

"Always."

I waited a few minutes for her breathing to slow down, and made my way downstairs. Emmett was still waiting for me.

He didn't question our sudden disappearance, it was something you got used to as a vampire. Emmett was way more curious about the blood I held in my pantry. He kept his mouth shut though and we headed back to the living room to continue with our game.

After that night he kept coming back more often than not. Sometimes he brought Rosalie with him, and she pretended to flip a magazine as we played until the wee hours of morning.

Just like old times.

Emily met with her a few times. At first, she acted with the same wary way she did when she met Emmett, if not more. After a while she grew accustomed to her as well, maybe because Rosalie warmed up really quickly towards her. More so than she ever did with me.

At some point they started visiting my house at hours when Emily was still awake, so they could spend some time with her before she went to sleep.

As for Emily she started treating Emmett and Rosalie like she knew them all her life. For one, I was glad she liked them so much, but on the other hand it also made me worry. I didn't want her to start letting her guard down around vampires.

You see, vampires were really vicious little creatures. Hardly worth trusting...

* * *

><p>Something I learned early on in my life as a vampire, was that I had to keep up appearances all the time.<p>

It wasn't enough to look like a human, I had to act as one. Walk like one, breathe like one, twitch like one, and eat like one or in the very least, appear to.

That's what brings us here today. Us, as in me and Emily.

We were at a supermarket buying enough food for two people when in truth it was only Emily who could eat it. Don't get me wrong, she wouldn't eat it all, but they needed to see me buy enough for both of us. The last thing I needed was for people to think I was starving the kid.

Anyway, I was walking around the isles, with the cart almost full. Emily was bouncing a few steps ahead of me, picking up junk food from the shelves and trying to hide them among _our_ food. I could see clearly what she was doing, but one more bag of chips wouldn't kill us...her.

I would stop her when her attempts of sneaking food into our cart became too much, of course.

Emily's sneaking attempts were well ignored when I felt another presence at the entrance. Actually not only one, several. The whole Cullen family.

Just great.

I don't remember ever going shopping with them before. The reason after I was turned was pretty obvious, but coming to think of it I had never gone grocery shopping with them at all. Not even before I was turned. It had never been my first priority when I was dating Edward, and I distinctively remember most of them made themselves scarce when Esme announced it was time to stop by the supermarket.

What are they all doing here?

Did they know we were gonna be here? How could they possibly know that?

It didn't take Emily long to spot her giant teddy bear, also known as Emmett. She ran straight towards him, leaving me to follow, but when she realized he wasn't alone she stopped abruptly.

"Hey, there, Em." Emmett said. This was as far as Emily allowed him to go with the nicknames. The girl had him on a very tight leash.

"Hi" She told him warily, mindful of the people around him.

"This is my family I was telling you about." He explained to her. "You know Rose. This is Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Jasper and Alice. They are nice." He said while pointing to each as he announced their names. Emmett had picked up on Emily's problems with vampires and was trying to put her at ease with so many of them around her. Still she felt the need to have me, or more specifically, my legs, as a barrier between her and them.

"Hi" I said, to no one specific.

"Hello, Bella" Esme answered, followed by a chorus of 'hey's, 'hello's and 'hi's. "It is nice seeing you again."

"Yeah." The real answer I had been looking for was 'whatever' but I didn't think it would go well with my age. On the other hand I couldn't just lie to them and say how glad I was to run into all of them again.

"And who might this beautiful girl right here be?" Esme continued, as if not noticing my discomfort, and knelt down to be in eye level with Emily.

"This is Emily, she's been living with me." I said flatly.

"Hello, there, Emily" Something told me Emmett had warned the family against nicknames. "I'm Esme Cullen, I'm considered the mother of this very exceptional family."

Emily decided it was safe enough to allow them see her face, and she cautiously peeked her head from behind me.

"You have golden eyes too, does this mean you are not gonna eat me either?" Emily asked, in all seriousness.

"I don't plan on it, no." It was Esme's answer, slightly amused.

"That's good. I don't like vampires with red eyes."

I knew Esme wouldn't know what to say to that, so I decided to take over.

"You liked Garret."

"Fine, then. I don't like vampires with red eyes, with the exception of Garret." She countered, annoyed with the interruption. I considered mentioning the Volturi too, but I knew in spite of what she pretended, I would just be proving her point. Deep down, she really didn't like them.

"You shouldn't" I told her, instead.

"So, Emily" Esme continued "Emmett told me you are already 6" I think she put the 'already' in there just to make Emily feel important. She knew how to deal with kids, I'd give her that.

"Yes, and I'm quite tall for my age."

"I can see that. That must mean you already go to school then?"

"Yes, I attend Fairlight Primary School"

"That's good. And do you like it there?"

"Yes, it is quite tiring, but it provides me with the means to reach my full potential." By then, I already knew Esme has gotten through with Emily.

Emily wasn't hidden behind me anymore, she was two feet away from Esme, completely at ease and telling the woman all about her life. That must be a record. I should really remind her to be more careful.

"I'm glad. And what else do you do with your time. I'm sure that a girl such as yourself has much more interests."

"I like to ride horses and fight with this really big sword my mom gave me. What about you?"

"Well, I've always enjoyed cooking."

"Really? Is it any good?"

"I can't really say. I can't taste it anymore. From what I remember when I was human, it wasn't that bad."

"If you want, someday, I can taste it for you and tell you how it is."

"That would be splendid, Emily."

"And maybe, you could also teach me how to cook"

I snorted, but both parties ignored it.

Like I couldn't teach her that. I just didn't want her spending too much time in the kitchen. She was very accident prone, not as much as me when I was human, but still…

I didn't see the point of her cooking when I could do it for her.

"Anytime you want, just ask your mother and you'll be more than welcome in our house."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. She didn't just say it.

"My mom is dead."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I assumed…" She assumed I was Emily's mother. Her logic was lost in me though.

"That's fine. It happened a long time ago."

"You are such a brave girl."

"Yeah, and I'll be the strongest too. Right, Bella?" I nodded.

"In that case, you may come over whenever Bella allows you to."

"Cool. And what can you do?"

"Well, several pies, steaks, fish, salads, cakes and so many others. I really had a lot of time to learn. Why don't you tell me what you like I will tell you if I can cook it."

"Chocolate cake?" Not that surprising this was the first think on Emily's mind.

"Yes."

"Cheesecake?"

"Yes."

"Chicken stock?"

"Yes."

"Crab?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything that you can't cook?"

"Probably."

"You are funny."

"I'm glad you think so."

"So, what are you guys doing here?"

"We needed to do some grocery shopping, would you care to join me?"

Wait. What?

"Yeah."

"If you don't mind, Bella." This time Esme addressed to me.

I stared hard at her, and she gazed back at me with her angelic smile. Angelic, my ass. She had tricked me.

She was using a child to get on my good graces. Deceiving little… huff.

On the other hand, Emily was basically kneeling on the floor, her hands clasped while mouthing silent 'pleases' to me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, but don't go too far. I'm almost done."

"Yes!" Emily jumped in joy, Esme just smiled. Both were off to pick whatever they needed. Carlisle trailing behind them.

I decided to continue on my way as before when I realized I wasn't alone. Alice and Edward were trailing behind me while shooting daggers at each other.

Why did I pick this day to come here?

It started so subtly, I didn't even notice it at first. Edward would occasionally brush my arm with his as he walked beside me. Alice would help me choose fruits (Does she even know how to do that?). Then Edward would push my cart around for me. Alice would accidentally brush away the few strands of hair that fell on her cheek all the while picking vegetables.

I didn't know what to make of this. What were they both doing here?

When Edward decided it was safe to put his arm around my waist at the same time Alice looped her arm around mine, it was time for me to intervene.

It reminded me of the past, made me feel… well, something. And that was the last think I wanted.

"Is there something either of you want?" I asked them.

"No, we were just trying to help you, Bella." Alice said. "At least, I was."

Edward growled at his sister.

"Thanks, but I can do it just fine on my own." I countered at her before taking my cart and leaving.

Not to my surprise, they trailed alongside. At least this time they kept their hands to themselves.

"You have really grown, Bella." Edward's voice caught me by surprise I thought they were done addressing me.

"Hum, thanks...I guess."

"It is true, Bella" Alice continued "You have changed."

"It was expected, Alice." She smiled at me as I said her name. What was about that? "It has been 50 years."

"And it is incredible to see how well you have done for yourself, Bella." Edward cut in. "To think that you were just a newborn when you disappeared, and to see how much control you have over yourself now, it's amazing."

"It's not about control, Edward." He smirked at his sister. Ok, what is going on with this two? "It's about being yourself."

"I see, still amazing, Bella. Congratulations."

"Thank you?"

"Bella" Alice called, and I turned my head towards her. "If you don't mind me asking, why is Emily living with you?"

My face hardened.

"Her parents are dead." I said, with finality in my voice. It was not a subject to discuss. "Anyway, I'm done. I need to find Emily, so that we can go. Bye."

"See you later, Bella." Alice said.

"Yes, Bella, let's hope that we see each other soon." Edward agreed.

Oh the nerve!

I found Emily standing beside the ice cream refrigerators. She was explaining to Esme the obvious superiority of chocolate ice cream over vanilla one. Carlisle was standing a few steps aside, obviously amused to the situation.

"She is a wonderful girl, Bella." He said.

"Yes, she is."

I called out to Emily, and after some protests I convinced her it was time to get home. My sanity depended on it. We checked out the food and made our way towards the car.

I was stuffing the groceries in the car, Emily by my side, when I allowed myself to ponder out loud.

"How did they know we would be here..?"

The answer came without me expecting it.

"I told Emmett last night."

I really needed to have a talk with this girl.

* * *

><p>And that was it….<p>

Please review.


	4. Another Brick in the Wall

**Once More with Feeling**

Sequel to The Definition of Love. Read that one first. Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.

50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose.

Don't own anything.

Flashbacks are in bold.

AN: Thanks to dark wolf of death, Aaronexus, Jenara, Raventear, Emerald Demona, bec89, Bela23, WistfulLove, Curious Leigh, cassi143, Team Alice All The Way, HeyYou, shycoyotegirl and ForestFlore for the amazing reviews.

And thanks to Reventear for once again helping out with basically everything. Without her, it would be almost another story... lol ;)

Aaronexus, see, not bold anymore... lol... and hopefully, it will all be explained. :)

HeyYou, no, not at first, but now that you mentioned it... maybe... lol... but, seriously, i havent decided yet if its going to be a Bella/Alice story or anything else... i havent written the last chapter yet, so it could go either way at this point... anyone's opinion is good... ;)... about her powers, not quite like that, and not exactly... i cant tell you anymore than that, you will have to wait... sorry... ;)

and to everyone else that asked, Emily will be explained, eventually...

and yes, I'm late… as always…. Sorry

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Another Brick in the Wall<strong>

- 50 years ago -

I'm not sure how long I stayed underwater. It was like time stood still. I passed by several schools of fish, but they were all seemed the same to me. They were my source of blood whenever my hunger became too much to handle.

I actually drank from a whale once. A hum… interesting experience to say the least. I would say that that kept me satisfied for a long period of time, but I couldn't be sure. Time was not something I kept track anymore.

I enjoyed the peace of living down under. There was no one to bother me, or to confuse me. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to be. I could just be.

Every once in a while I was reminded of the Cullens. Odd as it sounds there were fish I could swear resembled Emmett's face, a whale who glared at me exactly like Rosalie, even a… well, a something that looked at me with Esme's caring face.

Every time I tried quickly to dismiss any thought of them. If they wanted to see me they could easily find me. Alice's gift ensured they knew where I was going to be, the moment I decided to go there.

They'd never come looking for me though, so I forced myself to stop thinking about them.

Eventually, I made my way out of the water. I had no idea what day it was. If it was day or night (they were both the same to my eyes), or where I was. All I could see was white. There was snow everywhere...

I was wearing shreds of drenched clothing, probably because most of whatever I had been wearing when I dove in had disintegrated while I was in the water. These rags were hardly enough to keep me warm.

Well, it wasn't like I needed clothes. The coldness of the weather couldn't affect me anymore.

I couldn't feel the bitter cold wind.

There was a sun. Probably. Possibly. I think. Most of the time.

I couldn't be sure.

It looked different from when I was human, and I didn't spend much time under it after I wasn't.

It had more of a yellowish glow, so probably not the moon, right? Although I think, there had been a moon sometimes.

It's not like it mattered, so I continued to walk.

At a first glance it didn't seem to be any humans around. Had they somehow been extinct since the last time I was on the surface?

I wandered around for bit and I noticed there were, in fact, humans in small numbers living in rusty cabins in tiny communities here and there. Most, if not all, kept staring at me. I couldn't be bothered, however, and since none tried to talk to me, I mostly ignored them.

Whenever my hunger got the best of me, I went after some of those huge white bears. Despite their size, they were no match for me.

For a while I believed I had found peace; that I would be left alone.

Those dreams ended when a couple of cloaked men made their appearance one day. As they made their way towards me, I knew they weren't human. They were vampires.

They didn't say anything to me, they just grabbed me and started dragging me away. I could have resisted, but it's not like I had anywhere else to be.

Whatever.

Their decision was as good as mine.

As we walked I noticed a small pendant hanging underneath their cloaks. A Volturi pendant.

Looks like I'm going to Italy.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, they had their private jet, it saved me and their selves from the inconvenience of traveling in an airplane filled with humans.<p>

Before our arrival they had given me some new clothes and a cloak. Probably to not draw any unwanted human attention. Should I inform them I couldn't shine?

Nah.

It was not like they had tried to start a conversation with me. Why should I give them any free information?

Our plane landed in a small, even though chaotic, airport in Rome. There was no baggage to be claimed by either of them so we just proceeded to the exit where there was a car and a driver waiting for us. Cautiously, the driver opened the back door and we entered, one Volturi at each side of me.

By his rapid heartbeat, I thought the driver was human, and he knew what kinda creatures he was dealing with. Regardless, he stayed quiet and drove us all the way to Volterra.

We arrived in dark deserted corner of the city and the car stopped. Carelessly, I was dragged out and through a narrow path I had no recollection of anymore, although some parts seemed vaguely familiar.

Those walls and doors would be forever carved into my brain now.

When we reached outside an enormous metal door, we stopped. I wasn't completely sure but my bet was this was the door before Aro's, Marcus' and Caius' big common room.

I was standing in between those two men I had traveled half across the world, waiting for permission to enter. Something clicked on the other side of the door and as if on cue they pushed me inside.

Aro's surprised face lasted only mere seconds, and then his annoying know-it-all- smirk was back in place.

"Oh, my, my. Bella! What a good surprise!" He said as he approached me. "That's not a very nice way to treat our guests. Please, let her go." Aro said to the two blokes who had their hands securely wrapped under my armpits. They obeyed immediately.

My eye roamed around the room. I remembered it perfectly as it was when we had our last meeting while I was still human. As the last time we weren't the only ones in the room. Besides me, Beaves and Buthead, and obviously Aro, Caius and Marcus there was also the some of the guard in the room.

Caius looked like he wanted me dead, preferably soon, and Marcus was just not interested.

My eyes landed on two other figures were standing amongst Aro's guard. They caught my attention because they weren't wearing the Volturi's usual cape, nor were they carrying any pendants. Most importantly though, they had golden eyes.

Aro probably caught on my curious look and took the liberty to introduce us.

"Bella, this is my good friend Eleazar and his wife Carmen. But it seems now that their presence here is unnecessary, but maybe not." He said that last part to himself. "And that, my friends, is Isabella Cullen."

"Swan. And I prefer Bella." Their eyes widened at the mention of the word Cullen, but I was quick to correct him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Bella Swan." The man named Eleazar said politely.

"Indeed, we have heard a great deal about you. It's a pleasure to finally see the face behind the name." The woman said.

"Thank you" Really, what else was I supposed to say? It was not like I had ever heard of them. Besides, if they knew the Cullens I'm not sure those things they heard would be all good.

"They are members of the Denali coven, Bella." Aro said, as if he had sensed my confusion. "Besides Carlisle's coven, they are the only... vegetarian coven I have ever heard of." I couldn't decide whether his tone at the word "vegetarian" was spiteful or sarcastic.

"Hum, cool." Again, what am I supposed to say? But the Eleazar guy chuckled at my response, so it was not all bad. Right?

"Indeed" Aro said, in a way that told me that he didn't really agree with me. "I'm glad to see the Cullens have fulfilled their promise. You are a vampire. Finally."

"Yeah." What's with people today and these unnecessary comments? Was my presence here even necessary? Would they continue this useless statement of facts they called a conversation, if I just simply walked out of the door?

"I wish I could have been there. It would have been entertaining to watch you turn." All this time he had been getting closer and closer to me, his hand was itching for him to touch me. He could read a person's every thought with a single touch, but he had never been successful with me. Curiosity and bad habit got the best of him and he finally brushed his fingertips over my arm. The displeasing look painted all over his face assured me that my thoughts were still only my own. "But, where is my great friend, Bella? I haven't seen Carlisle in such a long time."

Why do people insist on asking me that?

"I don't know. I left them."

"Excuse me dear, I'm not sure I understand, you left who?" Aro asked with a fake surprised tone, as if the concept of me leaving the Cullens was something impossible to grasp. His eyes, though, beamed with a delightful excitement for this information.

It was kinda annoying.

"The Cullens, I left the Cullens."

"Oh! How unfortunate for them. They must miss you terribly." I'm sure. Yeah, right. They are probably relieved I'm gone. They don't have to take care of me anymore. "But if you are in need of some guidance, I know a number of vampires that would be happy to assist you."

I could see his eyes shine at the prospect.

"I can manage on my own." Caius actually scoffed. Really, what's up with him? He had been silent through all of this and now he decides to make himself known?

"Obviously not." Caius continued. "YOU should be punished accordingly of your crimes!" Crimes? What crimes?

"There have been some rumors surrounding you, Bella. It is why you were brought here. We didn't know exactly to whom those rumors referred, but nevertheless things -CANNOT- continue like this." Aro tried to explain as he noticed my confused look.

"Continue like what?" I asked with confusion still evident in my face. He glared at me as if I was some sort of a petulant child who had to be put back in her place. He definitely knew how to get on my nerves.

"We received reports of someone with golden eyes" Interesting. So apparently my eyes were golden now, it's been a while since I had looked myself in a mirror. I wonder how long I stayed underwater. "and pale skin walking around in the snowy lands of nothern America. There were whispers of Ice Queens, Bigfoots and walking Sirens on the area. You see my dear Bella, you know we like our privacy and you have been attracting attention. We don't want humans meddling around with ancient myths and legends, you never know who will stumble on the truth about us."

It hit me then, they would have killed anyone else in my position by now. Without the slight explanation. I was a newborn vampire on the loose, disregarding the most important rule of the Volturi: keep our existence a secret.

The question formed in my head was answered as soon as it came. Why bother explain all of this to me if in the end I would be nothing but cold ashes. The answer was pretty obvious. Aro wanted me.

When I was still human he was extremely intrigued by his inability to read my thoughts. He wanted to see if I had some exceptional power as a vampire. Should I tell him I had none?

Anyone else wouldn't have lasted more than 5 minutes in this room, but Aro was giving me a second chance. Still, I wasn't sure I wanted to take it, I wasn't sure if it would be worth it to live like a monster.

I glanced around me. Aro was twiddling his thumbs with his greedy eyes all over me. He knew I had figured it all out. Caius was seating on the edge of his massive throne, his knuckles had turned white from gripping the throne's arms. If had I been closer I would be able to hear his teeth grinding. Marcus was...bored.

Eleazar and Carmen stood to the side, a little uncomfortable although there was a genuine interest shown in their faces. They were curious to see how this would progress.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. I guess I am not used to being like this yet. I promise, I'll work on blending in more."

"Of course, we understand. It must be terribly confusing, it's quite a scaring time for one such as yourself to be facing on your own." His voice remind me of a father scolding his child from breaking her mom's vase. It was his way to make me think he cared and wanted to help. Yeah right. Like he would take my side, over the Cullens.

"However, if you were to settle here for just a moment," Nothing much, just a few hundred years, I'm sure. "We would be more than honored to guide you through this rough period of your newborn years. Train you to reach your full potential. Mold you into becoming a powerful Volturi Guard Member!"

There it was. The offer I had been expecting ever since I was dragged out of the snow by those two men. The request was expected, the fact I hadn't flat out rejected his offer shocked me. The idea of being a part of something seemed appealing, even with all the compromises I would have to do for it.

He wanted me ever since he first laid eyes on me. He seemed to actually want my presence around.

Aro saw hesitation flicker on my eyes. He smirked and his eyes shone brightly. He figured he had won. He had gotten himself a new toy. The overly eager look on his face and his devious grinning made me get back to my senses.

Sorry, creep, not now, not ever.

"I thank you for the offer, but I'm sorry to say I can't accept it." I finally answered with a bit of fear. By refusing his offer there was a huge possibility I would not leave this chamber alive.

"BLASPHEMY!" Caius yelled and suddenly a flash of red came towards my direction.

By the time I realized this red mass coming towards me was actually a flaming storm ready to consume me, it had already been blocked as it hit an invisible glass wall 3ft. away from me.

That again? This hadn't happened ever since the day with the wolves and the unseen barrier. Does this mean it wasn't really the treaty?

Caius face went from contempt, to utter disbelief, to pure anger. He tried again and again and again with his weird fire toy, but he never got to me. At first, Aro looked delighted, but eventually he got bored, like everyone else, and ordered him to stop.

He wasn't so happy to follow an order from Aro, especially when everyone was watching and because he considered himself equal in power. But Aro's piercing gaze made him back down easily, making it clear who was the true leader of the Volturi.

Aro turned to me, with his creepy smile, dreamy eyes and started to applaud. Soon, the others followed, Caius just sulked in his throne in silence. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I just stood there waiting and hoping for it to end.

"My, my Bella, that was quite impressive. All that fiery power and you stopped it without the slightest effort." That's because I didn't do anything, you greedy bastard. For some reason, there is a wall, which I have absolutely no control over, that took a liking to protecting me.

But I figured it was best not to tell him that. My chances getting out of here alive were higher if they thought it was me doing it, right?

"Regardless, her punishment is yet to be decided." Caius intervened, still mad that not only his attack on me had been somehow rendered useless but also because he had been overruled so easily.

"I'm sure it won't happen again. Am I right Bella?" He asked but he didn't give me a chance to respond. "I'm certain you will be more careful from now on"

"Of course." I said and nodded.

"Good, however..." Never liked '_howevers'. _"if you won't accept our guidance, I plead you get it from Eleazar and Carmen." This so called request sounded more like an order. But whatever, it was better than Aro himself or his guard. "We summoned them here when we heard there was a situation with a golden eyed vampire, and considering they were the only vegetarian coven close to your location, we assumed you were somehow connected to the Denali coven. Now, even though it has been proven they were in no way involved in those events, I feel they are willing to help you with whatever it is you need. Also they are in complete agreement with your choice of sustenance."

"I wouldn't want to impose." It wasn't the only reason I didn't want to follow them, but it was one of my concerns, but it was a good enough excuse to get out of this deal.

"Nonsense" Aro was the one to respond, as if daring them to contradict him. They didn't. "They won't mind, and seeing as you are already here, I see no reason why it can't be done in our humble home." ARGH! I knew he had been plotting something. Now how do I get out of it? "Just a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks then." I agreed. He probably was already thinking of reasons to delay my departure, but my mind was set. In two weeks I would be out of here. And not a minute later.

* * *

><p>Working with Eleazar and Carmen was not as bad as I thought it would be. They didn't try to get me to talk to them, nor did they try to meddle in my life. They were nice and overall likeable.<p>

It had been a positive point for them that they hadn't mentioned the Cullens.

They talked about their lives and experiences throughout the years as a way to explain to me the better ways to mingle with humans.

I had my own room in the Volturi's house… hum, mansion? Castle? Or whatever it was you want to call that place. Anyway, I barely spent any time in there.

I didn't need to sleep, so I used it only when I remembered humans didn't spend all days in the same clothes. They had given me new clothes and surprisingly (OK, not really), they all had the Volturi emblem somewhere.

And, really, they needed a fashion adviser, but I wasn't going to stick around long enough to actually do something about it.

Today was a day like any other. I had been allowed to hang out by myself. Carmen and Eleazar needed some time to themselves and I really didn't care to spend time with anyone from the Guard.

I had been idling crouched atop the roof when I heard Eleazar coming towards me. He walked slowly, to make sure his presence was known before he reached me. It was very considerate of him.

"Hello, Bella" he said and sat down a foot away from me.

"Hi" I said and turned to look at him.

"How are you this morning?" It's morning? I always forget to keep track. It just seems so useless.

"I'm fine. You?"

"The feeling is quite mutual"

"Great" I said and I was met with a few moments of silence when I resumed watching the world around me. It was truly fascinating.

"Bella" Eleazar said after a few minutes, but I kept staring ahead. He knew I was listening "Don't you feel it would be beneficial for us to discuss what happened on the day we met?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Your powers, Bella." I knew it! I knew Aro had put him up to this. It was only a matter of time.

The wall hadn't been mentioned in the past few days I spent with them, but I knew they would talk about it sometime. I'm sure Aro told them to do it.

I looked into his eyes before I informed him, with a sigh.

"I don't have any."

He was a good guy, right? He wouldn't tell Aro that. Aro presumption on 'my really amazing powers' was the only thing keeping me alive.

"I'm sure that's not the case." He said, without any doubt.

"Look, I don't know what you think you saw that day, but I can guarantee it that I wasn't the one doing it."

"Maybe not consciously, but it was coming from you, yes."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I have a gift of my own, Bella." Eleazar told me. "And I suppose that was the reason Aro asked _me_ to talk to you"

That intrigued me, why would his power mean so much?

"What can you do?"

"Many things, Bella, many things. But in the matter in which you are asking I should say I have the ability to sense others' abilities."

"What?"

"Basically, I can feel other vampires' powers."

Silence again. I needed a moment to gather that all in. If he can sense powers and he is telling me I have one, that means I do have one special power, right?

"What's my power, then?" I finally ask.

"I'm not certain." He seemed almost ashamed of it.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't get a reading out of you."

"So we get back to what I was saying." I chuckled, and it turned into a desperate cry a moment later "I have no powers!" Did he have to say all of that just so that we got back to where we started? I wonder if he said all of that so that he could gloat about his powers.

"No, that was not what I meant. When someone doesn't have any powers, I can see they don't have any. With you, it is different. I can't see you." Eleazar explained.

"What does that mean?"

"It means your powers are blocking mine. I suppose you have some sort of shield around you." I chuckled. Could I trust him? He seemed to be telling me the truth, and he obviously had more experience with this than I did.

But, a shield? Really?

It seemed kinda lame. When I was human, I wanted something more along the lines of telekinesis, or fire throwing, or something else as cool.

"But how does that work? How can I not know about it?"

"From my experience with vampires' powers, that's the best answer I have at the moment. I believe that you don't know about it because you have always had it 'on', for a lack of a better explanation. Even as a human. Although…"

"Although?" I turned to look at him for the first time during this conversation. He has my complete attention.

"Although it appears to have become stronger when you turned into a vampire. From the information Aro provided me, as a human you were only able to shield your mind from others. Now you are able to physically protect yourself. You were not even straining yourself when Caius attacked you. I also believe there is more to it. You have yet to reach your full potential,"

Still I wasn't convinced I had a power at all. But let's just indulge him for a moment.

"Really, then why are you able to be closer to me than Caius' attack? If my powers are always 'on', shouldn't you be blocked before you reach me? And how do I turn it 'off'?" I wasn't sure I wanted it 'off', it seemed much more secure to have it 'on', but being able to turn it "off" was an option I wanted to have.

"Again, I am not sure. Each power is different. However, being able to recognize it as your power is a good first step."

I turned back to the world around us, staring at nothing in particular, I just didn't want him looking into my eyes as I talked about what I was about to say.

"It happened before. Once. And I could see it, well, I think I could see it. I'm not really sure. There was a blur, and I really wanted to touch it, I'm not even sure why I wanted to touch it so much, but Emmett wouldn't allow it."

"Did he see it too?"

"I'm not sure, I don't think so."

"If he wasn't aware there was anything there, why would he try to keep it away from you?"

"We were under attack, and that weird invisible wall was the only thing keeping us safe. I guess, he didn't think it was safe for me to hang around there."

"I see. Maybe the physical protection is a reflex to whenever you are in danger, or maybe to the actual attack and not the situation. I'm not sure. Do you know if during an attack someone can cross your barrier if they are not trying to attack you? Is it selective that way?"

"I didn't even know I had one until now." And I still didn't, but… "I'm not sure, I- I never saw anyone cross it, I only saw it appear twice. And you know how one of them turned out. So, I guess it is possible but I just don't know."

"How about we test that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I believe it's time to put your powers to the test and for you to learn just how to control them."

* * *

><p>"Bella, how are you feeling?" Carmen's words echoed from the other side of the field as she shot fire towards me. She had asked Aro for Caius fire toy to train me. A request that had been happily granted by the Volturi leader, even if Caius himself was less than thrilled with the idea.<p>

"Fine. Nothing different." I said, truthfully. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel. Beside me, Eleazar seemed to be paying close attention to what I was doing, but I'm not sure what he hoped to accomplish with that.

At the beginning, he had been standing right beside Carmen, but afterwards he decided to walk towards me along with the fire. We discovered he could pass my barrier, as long as I didn't consider him a threat. I realized it because he liked to walk back and forth from where we thought the shield was positioned, and the only time he had been denied access was when he came running towards me with his arms raised ready strike.

"Alright, I'm coming closer. Tell me if it starts to be too much for you" Carmen said. I didn't say anything, I knew they wanted to be careful and all, but should I remind them Caius was standing just a few feet away from me when he attacked me?

"Bella." Eleazar spoke from beside me. "Bella, pay attention to your shield. Can you see it?"

"Not really" I answered truthfully, the only reason I had any idea where it was, was because the fire suddenly stopped coming towards me.

"Look for it. Focus on it, Bella. Can you do it?"

"I can try."

"Try to alter it, push it forward or pull it back. Alter its thickness. Or its strength."

I blocked out what he said after that. Slowly I approached the fire being held out by the wall. I knew it was dangerous. If for some reason it let the fire pass, I would be dead. I'm sure Caius had used his toy enough times to kill other vampires. But I didn't care, something was calling to me.

I wanted to touch it. I could see it again, there was a thin layer of… something right after the fire. It was blurred, like it was out of focus. Like I needed special glasses to see it properly.

It was fascinating. It was calling to me.

I lifted my hand, letting it drift closer to the wall and this time no one stopped me. I let my fingers touch it, one by one, and I could see a white shining light come out of each one.

Nothing mattered around me.

There was no more Carmen or Eleazar or fire. It was like they were the ones out of focus now, like I had found my special glasses. All I could see were those tiny bits of white light coming out of where I touched my shield.

It was beautiful.

I could watch it all day.

And then, all of a suddenly, the white light was not only coming from where I could touch it, but from the entire shield. I could see exactly where it started and where it ended.

I wonder if I could change it. Could I control it?

I pressed my entire palm on the shield and willed it forward. Just like that it expanded, moving towards Carmen until I wanted it to stop. I decided to change it, picturing it in my mind, I made it as a square instead of a circle that had previously been around me. And it obeyed me. I just had to will it, and it altered itself for my benefit.

This feeling was amazing. It was nothing like I had ever felt before. It was like I was free, that this was a part of me I was missing.

Oh, yeah. I was finally convinced I had a shield.

I kept playing with my shield for… a few days? In the back of my mind it registered there were sometimes stars in the sky, and sometimes there weren't. But, again, time was meaningless to me.

Carmen and Eleazar stayed with me throughout it all, testing me, attacking me, using anything they could think of. From water to fire. From dirt to steel. From a closed fist to a piece of marble. They even got some of the guard member to attack me with their super powers. None of it got through.

The feeling was invigorating. I was exhilarated. It felt so good to be GOOD at something. Not being the one to depended on someone else. The one who always needed protection.

Because I saw.

I saw a flicker of fear in Aro's eyes when he realized his whole guard was pretty much useless against me.

And that's how I left, feeling rather smug once my promised time in Volterra ended. Aro had tried to convince me to stay several times, especially after he realized the true extent of my powers. But it didn't matter, I was free to do as I wished.

Oh, yeah, life was good.

* * *

><p>That's it. Hopefully you liked it. ;)<p>

I'll try to get the next one posted soon.

Please review.


	5. I Won't Give Up

**Once More with Feeling**

Sequel to The Definition of Love. 50 years into the future. They are back, and it is time to choose. Told from Bella's PoV. Contains femslash, you have been warned.

50 years after Bella left the Cullens she finds herself reunited with them.

Don't own anything.

Flashbacks are in bold.

AN: First, i would like to say sorry for the very long wait. I know i have said it time and time again, but i promise i'm working on it. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but i do have the more or less ready in my head... i just have to edit it a bit.

So, thanks to with love - Elincia, HeyYou, Raventear, Jenara, anon, Gaskll, bec89, Talismann, JJ, angel-1844, Lunaris-wind, rissan23, Guest, BeliceForever, kira66, Huf, Thyatira, chikis, liz, gilo, SuperFreakingDuper, Frost654, Tiffany Chang, A Thousand Undiscovered Stars, Rayne Arianna Maranochi, Quinntana2, brightmoon78, Neith Yamashita for reviewing and not letting me forget about this.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – I won't give up<strong>

A car drive from our house in Brighton to London Heathrow Airport should take most people a little more than an hour. I wouldn't need half of that time.

Emily slept soundly on the backseat as I drove. It would be weird for her to be awake; it was way past her bedtime.

I had had no choice. She had begged me to tag along, and I had let her.

Yes, I was a sucker for her puppy dog eyes. Most people were, anyway. Don't ever let her hear it.

But, where was I?

Oh, yes, Emily was driving with me to the airport.

She wanted to be there when Jacob arrived.

Yes, Jacob, as in Jacob Black.

The wolf.

Besides, I didn't like leaving her to be taken care of by other people. There weren't many people I could trust to guard her.

Some would call me overprotective, but in reality that's not entirely true. Not really.

It would be irresponsible of me to leave her without protection.

Not with all the dangers I knew were out there.

Threats most people wouldn't dream of, much less be able to protect her from.

The Volturi, for instance.

I knew I could have Emily teleport us back and forth, but I didn't want her to strain herself. She didn't cope too well with long distances and places she didn't know.

It wasn't time quite yet, maybe when she got older.

And so we drove, as fast as my super senses allowed me to keep Emily safe.

It took me exactly 27 minutes from my house in Brighton to the waiting area of Heathrow Airport. And it took Jacob another 13 minutes to walk through baggage claim doors.

It took Emily less than 2 seconds to run towards him as quickly as her small legs would allow her and jump into his waiting arms.

Not the smartest move in a room full of unsuspecting humans. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.

Or so I told myself.

"Look at what we have here. Emily! You have grown so much!" Jacob told her with a large smile as he cradled her. "I missed you"

"I missed you more, Jake"

"Not possible."

"Huh hum, yes, it is. I missed you billion times more." The girl told him, in her as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, then, I missed you a trillion times more."

Emily paused for a moment, as if contemplating what was bigger than a trillion.

"In that case, I missed you infinite times more."

"Touché"

"What?"

"Never mind, my little princess. It means you won." She seemed happy with the news, until her brain caught up with the rest of the sentence.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Jacob. I am NOT little! I'm 1,25 m and one of the tallest girls in my class."

"I know, but still you are quite small to me. And that's the only comparison I care about." He finished with a kiss on her right cheek as made his way towards me with Emily in one arm and his bag in the other.

I pretended not to notice the slightly blush on Emily's cheeks and the fact she hid her face on his neck. She seemed to have picked up a small crush towards Jacob.

Not that I blame her, he was undeniably gorgeous.

"Hey" I said when Jacob finally stopped two feet away from me.

He looked exactly as I remembered. The same dark eyes, short black hair and russet skin. Almost 2 m (7 ft) tall, and maybe even a little bit bulkier than when I had seen him last.

"Hi, Bella." He didn't say anything else. Just dropped his bag and hugged me with his free arm.

I hugged him back with all the strength I could without hurting him.

God, I missed him. How had Emily had put it? Oh, yeah, infinite times more.

Emily's easy smile reflected my own, and Jacob's for that matter.

I picked up his bag and we started walking, with his arm around my shoulders. For a moment, I thought he would fight me for the bag, but one look from me and he was reminded he wasn't dealing with a typical human girl.

We walked towards the car without any kind of hush as Emily rambled on about her life and everything he had missed. To his credit, Jacob seemed to be paying an uncanny amount of attention to her.

I drove back towards our house without an incident, and even thought I did it with the same speed we went to Heathrow; none of them even noticed. I suppose they were used to it by now.

Emily remained awake throughout the journey this time, telling Jacob anything she could remember. I swear the girl could speak over 1000 words per second.

She was too excited to be able to sleep.

The girl didn't even give me time to turn off the car before jumping out of her seat and dragging Jake inside, as she babbled about her new school, training, friends and clothes.

I stood back and watched as they interacted. It was interesting to see.

He really had a way with her.

At some point, I had to intervene, it was getting way too late, and she did have school the next day.

"Emily, time for bed, sweetie."

"But, Jacob just got here." She whined

"Yes, and you will have plenty of time to hang out with him. In the meantime, you have to sleep." I told her, in a tone she knew it was better not to argue.

"Fine!" She pouted and disappeared to her room. I could almost see the smoke she left behind and the 'puff' as she teleported.

I left Jacob with a tired smile and walked to her room, where she had already changed into her pajamas and was lying down underneath the covers with her arms crossed, sulking.

"Don't be mad Emily. You know you need to wake up early tomorrow, and this is way past the time you should be asleep. Remember it's a big day for you; it's your last rehearsal before the play. Do you really want to be tired for it?" I told her softly, caressing her hair.

"No" Emily conceded.

"See, and then Saturday you can show me and Jacob everything you have worked so hard for these last few months for."

"Okay." She said, finally uncrossing her arms.

"Okay?"

"Huh hum."

"Alright, good night then, sweetie." I said, and planted a little kiss on her forehead. As I turned to leave, her voice stopped me.

"Bella?" Emily called me, just before she let out a huge yawn. What can I say? She really wasn't used to be up at this hour.

"Yes?"

"I invited Emmett and his family to the play." She mumbled, already far too sleepy to keep her eyes open.

I close my eyes, exhausted.

Dammit!

What am I supposed to do about this?

On top of everything, Emily seemed to be developing some kind of attachment to the Cullens.

Great, just freaking great.

I went back downstairs. My feet were making a bit more noise than they normally would, but can you blame me? I was slightly annoyed.

And when I say slightly annoyed, I mean really royally. Freaking. Furious.

Jake was sitting on the couch waiting for me as he browsed through my TV channels. His bag had been carelessly dropped right by the door, and it hadn't been moved since.

He frowned when he first saw me, noticing my discomfort, but he let it go once he realized I didn't want to talk about it.

He could always read me like a book.

"Anything interesting?" I asked.

"Not really." He opened his arms for me, and I was quick to take my place by his side.

We ended up lying down, me on top of him with his arms around me, as we stare at a not-really-interesting movie on screen that neither of us was paying attention to.

We didn't really talk either.

Some would say my reaction towards him was unnatural; after all, we were mortal enemies. But his embrace comforted me. Calmed me.

He understood I had things on my mind I needed to work out before I could tell him about it.

That's why he was my best friend, and always would be.

And I felt no need to change it.

Gradually, I felt his breathe even out and his heartbeat slow down.

I picked him up and carried him upstairs, to my bedroom, without forgetting his bag. I let him down gently on the bed, but he pulled me back before I could take two steps away from him.

"Stay." He mumbled, and I didn't have to think twice before I complied with his request. It was not the first time we snuggled together in bed.

It probably wouldn't be the last.

* * *

><p>By the time I heard Jake get up from bed next morning, Emily was already at school and I was working on creating a new table and its matching chairs.<p>

It's what I did for a living, well, not really 'living' but you get what I mean.

That's my job.

Carving.

Usually wood carving, but I every once in a while I would get paid to do some stone, or even vegetable and fruit carvings. Furniture was my specialty. You know, chairs, tables, beds, that sort of thing.

Sometimes I would get a request for some sculpture. Those paid better, but they were much rarer. Not that it was a problem; I wasn't really in a dire need of money.

It's not something I had ever imagined myself doing, but it's what I ended up working on. It was kinda perfect really.

I had a better eye for inadequacies than any human could ever dream of, my arms and fingers dexterity's could not be matched by a living creature, and my speed allowed me to keep up a production rate much bigger than anyone could imagine.

Besides, it allowed me really flexible hours to take care of Emily.

I was my own boss; I didn't have to work with anyone else. I received an order, did the job and mailed it over.

You see, perfect.

Regardless, I stopped when I heard Jacob come down the stairs and met him in the kitchen.

His hair was wet, probably from just taking a shower, and he only had some sweatpants on. I never understood his dislike for shirts, but I never exactly complained.

"See something you like?" He asked, once he realized I was too fixed on his chest.

After all this years, I probably wouldn't blush even if I could.

What could I say; his body could make anyone drool.

"Actually, yes." I replied with a smirk "Now, sit down. What do you want for breakfast?"

He just smiled, not really answering me, and I knew that he basically intended to eat all my food. It seemed those extra food supplies would come in handy this time.

Without waiting for a reply I just started cooking anything I could set my eyes on. If memory served me correctly, it wouldn't go to waste.

In the end, we just enjoyed a lazy morning, talking, hanging out, and basically just waiting for Emily. He told me stories of La Push, but nothing surprising. I already knew most of what was happening over there.

I didn't say much. Emily had pretty much told him everything exciting she could remember.

Thankfully, she hadn't felt the need to spell out the names of her new friends, nor the fact they were dead.

When the time came, Jacob decided to pick Emily up on his own, while I cooked us (them) lunch. She wouldn't have any afternoon classes, as the whole school was getting ready for the play the next day.

Younger students, such as Emily, wouldn't have such a big role on the play itself, but they were required to do a dance number on their own. And Emily had every intention of being the star of the show.

The play had been the reason Jacob had flown all the way from Forks, as Emily had made quite clear his presence was mandatory.

They arrived just as I was finishing setting the table, and I told them both to wash their hands as I finished heating up some blood for me. I didn't keep such regular, short breaks for blood, but it seemed silly to stand there while both of them ate.

They finished quickly with their food (I would have to drop by the supermarket again soon), and we headed outside of the city, to something akin to a forest. We would have gone to the park, but there were too many people, and we wouldn't be able to actually relax around them.

We made sure there were enough trees to keep us hidden from any prying eyes and we decided to play chase with Emily, among the trees. Jake and I would run around them, and Emily would try to catch us. She couldn't actually match our speed, not sure if she ever would, but her ability to teleport sure kept us on our toes at all times.

Besides, she always had a trick up her sleeve. Balls of energy being her specialty.

By the end of the afternoon, we found ourselves some clearing with a small current nearby. I had brought a basket with some food and they enjoyed it while I waited.

I let them eat by themselves, this time. It would be too much blood for me.

As I watched them interact, I wished everyday could be like this.

When nighttime arrived, Emily was exhausted, it was not every day that she had such extenuating activity and we almost had to carry her back home.

Out of sheer pride, she managed to get herself back to her bed on her own. I couldn't allow her to skip a bath so I made her take a quick shower before going to sleep.

This night, Jake and I didn't even pretend that I wouldn't sleep (well, not really) in the same bed as him, so once he had finished eating his dinner we just gone up to my room, and he watched some TV while I finished a book.

He kissed my shoulder and was fast asleep soon after.

* * *

><p>Next day, Jake didn't get to sleep in as late as he would have liked. That's because so close to her opening night, and only presentation, Emily was finally starting to freak out.<p>

She was running up and down, checking and rechecking and then checking again to make sure her costume was perfect, and her shoes were clean, and there was enough make up to do exactly what her class had agreed on. She also wanted to keep practicing her performance, but she refused to do so in our presence not to spoil the presentation. Should I have reminded her we, or at least I, were able to hear her through walls?

Also, I kept trying to remind her she had to keep her dancing to a human level. But I was afraid that my words were falling on deaf ears.

Finally having enough, Jake suggested that we got moving a few hours before we actually had to be at the auditorium, in hopes that once we got there Emily would calm down. Or at least, drive someone else nuts.

I think his actual words were:

"Sweetie, how about we leave a little early so that you have enough time to get used to the stage?" I decided not to mention she had been practicing in the same place as the presentation, but thankfully she agreed without a fuss.

She actually thanked him for reminding her.

And that's how we ended up at her school hours before we should have been there.

Emily wasted no time waiting for us, and ran backstage, hoping she wasn't too late, which left Jacob and I waiting around in a room by ourselves while we watched the last minute arrangements being made to the scenario.

There wasn't anything for us to do, so we just took the opportunity to get some nice seats and wait.

It didn't take long before the auditorium started filling up, with proud parents and annoying relatives. At least, it wasn't much time in mine opinion.

I don't think Jake agreed with me.

Well, I was never really good at keeping track of time, anyway.

He had been grumbling and muttering for a while now. One would think someone his age would be able to sit still for a couple of hours.

But, no, apparently being a wolf kept him on edge at all times and I had to work twice as hard to keep him entertained during our wait so that he didn't draw too much attention from the people finally filling out the remaining seats.

The show was about to start when I sensed _their_ presence and felt Jake become stiff beside me. I put my arm around his shoulder, trying to keep him in place.

"Please, don't make a fuss out of it. They just came to watch the show." I whispered into his ear.

"You knew they were here?" His tone was accusatory

"_Don't_ ask"

His shoulders relaxed, but not much, so I decided to leave my arm where it was residing in case of an emergency.

I hadn't had the time to inform Jake the Cullens were in the city, nor that they were coming to the play. It slipped my mind, you see. In the same way that it slips a girl's minds to inform her overprotective dad she is going on date.

Not that there was anything date like about this situation. It was just an analogy.

I think I was hoping they wouldn't show up and I would be spared explaining to Jacob what they were doing here in the first place. I didn't even have any explanations to give. His guess was as good as mine.

Anyway, the Cullens remained standing, together, leaning against the back wall, behind everyone else in silence throughout the entire performance.

At least, I had the decency to twitch a little bit, blink every once in a while. Not them. They never moved, not even a little bit. They looked like statues.

It was not like it was a problem. Everyone's attention was on the play in front of them, where my attention should be.

I wasn't watching them. Really.

I mean, I just needed to make sure nothing would get out of hand. After all Emily had worked so hard for this, I didn't want anything getting in the way.

Nothing more.

In any case, I managed to pay attention to the bit where Emily performed, along with every child in her class, a simple singing/dancing number. She was the best in her class.

Maybe jumping a little too high, or moving a little too fast, but I'd deal with it later.

Once her performance was over, the rest of the presentation mumbled together as far as I was concerned. I couldn't even tell you what it was about.

The Cullens had zero to do with it.

The next thing my mind paid attention to was Emily running towards me, a sign the presentation was over.

"You were amazing! Congratulations!" I told her when she jumped into my arms, still high from her performance.

"Yeah, Em. Best girl out there" Jake joined in. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks! It was so much fun!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." I told her "You were really good."

"Where is Emmett? He needs to tell me how amazing I was" Emmett had been teasing Emily about the presentation, telling her that she couldn't possibly be able to pull all that stunts the choreography required. There weren't many, nor were they even marginally complex, the moves were made for 6 year olds, after all. But Emmett liked to tease.

Needless to say, she was dead set in proving him wrong.

In retrospect, it was kinda obvious she would want him to watch it.

"I think he just stepped outside with his family. Why don't you pick up your things and we can meet them there?"

"Ok" Emily replied, already running away without a glance back.

Jacob was about to express his disapproval in letting Emily, or anyone else really, near bloodthirsty vampires, but I stopped him with a look.

I was in no mood to discuss this.

I wanted them here as much as he did, it would be like preaching to the choir.

She returned not a minute later, with all her possessions in her backpack (she would never leave her things lying around, or in any kind of a mess) and took both mine and Jake's hand as we walked.

I saw the Cullens as soon as we set foot outside, standing across the street, waiting away from the mess of bodies that were jumbling together in the school's front lawn. Jacob saw, smelt or whatever them first, if Emily's request for him to loose the grip on her hand was any indication.

"Sorry" He responded and let go of her hand. "You girls, go ahead. I'll wait here. But, please, be careful."

I knew his reasons, but did he have to leave me alone to deal them?

To fight a pack of vicious vampires to death, he was all in no problem. But to help me make small talk with them he leaves me hanging.

_Really_ _great_ best friend.

Anyway, Emily dragged me across the street towards the Cullens, and once the formalities were over I kept quiet while I heard words of encouragement and praise towards her presentation. Also, Emmett had to endure a bit of teasing not only from Emily but from most of his family's members for telling Emily she wouldn't be capable of pulling the dancing off.

The light mood was promptly interrupted, however, when we smelt the rapidly increasing scent of fresh blood. One of the children had missed a step and fallen to the ground, scrapping his knee in the process. It wasn't even a big fall, or a huge cut, but it was leaving a bit of blood on the ground, which could become kind of a problem when he was rounded by bloodthirsty vampires.

So not the best time for it to happen, I thought resentfully.

Emily was the only one still oblivious to the tension around us, talking away as if nothing had happened.

Jacob was standing straighter than before, if that was even possible. He was prepared to fight, to defend the small boy if needed be.

Carlisle, much like me, was worried on how to make sure this situation didn't turn into a bloody mess, while the rest of the Cullens tried to keep themselves from attacking the small boy.

This just won't do.

"I can't move" Jasper affirmed, torn between confusion and frustration.

Emily was startled by his words, firstly because he had interrupted her mid-sentence, and secondly because I think it was the first time she ever heard him speak.

"Me neither." Emmett completed.

"Neither one of you can" I explained. "Not until the problem is fixed."

Without needing another hint, Carlisle calmly proceeded to offer his services to the boy's parents while discretely cleaning the remaining blood on the floor with some handkerchief he had up his sleeve. It didn't take long for the boy to be taken up to the nurse's office so Carlisle could put a band aid on it, and throw away the bloody tissue.

The smell of blood still lingered the air, but more as a faint reminder than anything else.

The Cullens didn't have those glazed eyes looks anymore. Problem solved. I think.

Instead they looked at me, with curiosity, urging me to explain something I had no desire to. Not now, nor in the foreseeable future.

Once Carlisle returned, the conversation resumed, slowly at first, but escalated to the same light and friendly conversation as before. There was an occasional odd look from some of the Cullens, but I decided to ignore it.

Finally, I decided enough was enough and it was time for us to go home.

Like the unofficial bodyguard I hadn't hired, Jacob was by my side in a second; ready to drag us home, and kill any vampire who tried to put up a fight. Maybe he needed another reminder I didn't need to be taken care of. But not right now, because right now it saved me from having to make nice with the Cullens.

Or so I thought.

By the time Emily fell asleep, after I had made sure she had eaten, showered and brushed her teeth, there was a knock on the door.

Frowning, I walked towards it. For a moment, I imagined it was Emmett, but not even he would be so stupid as to bother me while I had a werewolf guarding my house.

And yes, said werewolf was already standing right beside my door, huffing and puffing, ready to attack at the mere sight of the enemy.

"Down, boy" I teased him, but Jacob just growled at me, obviously displeased I was making light of the situation.

Well, it was not like I was happy with the people outside my door, but I certainly wouldn't consider them a treat to our lives.

They certainly didn't have the strength to cause any harm.

Reluctantly, I opened the door, figuring the longer I waited, the more trouble I would have to get rid of them. Hey, don't fault my logic; I had a long day, ok?

Outside stood Edward and Alice, waiting patiently for me to welcome them. Not exactly into my plans.

I stepped outside as I had no intention of letting them inside the house, and tried to close the door behind me, but Jacob's hand stopped me. Unsurprisingly, he followed me and closed the door after us.

Jake stood by my side, arms crossed, face threatening, as a bad ass warden.

"Can I help you?" I asked, confused as to why they would come over, after we, more or less, spent the evening together.

"Hello, Bella." Edward spoke, softly. "I apologize for the late hour."

"It doesn't really matter anymore, right? It's not like you would have caught me asleep." Jacob, on the other hand…

"Indeed." He continued. "However, the reason I'm here –"

"We are here" Alice intervened. This was the first time she decided to make herself known tonight, and may I say, she looked really pissed with her brother.

"Yes" Edward acknowledged, begrudgingly "The reason we are here tonight is because we have a matter of great importance to discuss with you."

"Go on." I urged. Keep it fast, people.

"Well, I believe the best way to say it, is that I would like to make my intentions towards you known, Bella." Edward continued, a bit more insecure than I remember him being.

"Excuse me?" I asked, shocked.

"I am here to properly inform you I would like to court you, Bella, if you are so inclined to agree." He repeated, with more confidence this time, looking right into my eyes, hopefully.

"NO" It was shouted from beside me, as Jacob threw Edward against a nearby tree and held him by the neck, faster than it was humanly possible. "NO" He repeated.

I'm pretty sure I can say Jake was angry.

I was stunned.

His words left me speechless, I'm pretty sure they would have left me breathless too, if I needed to breathe.

But part of me I was glad Jacob's reaction saved me from giving a response right away.

But I couldn't let it go on for much longer.

I looked towards the unmoving form of Alice and saw she would be no help, the girl seemed amused with the situation. I guess it would be me who would have to put a stop to this.

"Jake, that's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Much? After all they have done to you, they come back here and act like nothing happened and then he decides he wants you back? And you act as if I'm overreacting!" He growled at me. Jacob had gotten better control of himself over the years, but werewolves were never reliable creatures to begin with. They had this 'bite first, ask questions later' mentality going on.

"You _are_ overreacting. Please let him go." Still Jacob remained unsure whether or not to let go. Well, it's not like Edward would run out air anytime soon. Still, it didn't feel right to just leave him like this. "The last thing we need is one of the neighbors catching sight of this."

Slowly, and not exactly willing, Jake let Edward go.

"Be careful how you continue, fang boy, or you will have to deal with more than just a sore throat." He told him, while letting my ex-boyfriend fall to the ground, which he did with the same grace I've always seen in him. Edward just dusted his jacket a bit and continued as if nothing had happened.

"You don't have anything to worry about, Jacob. This was the message I wanted to express. Bella, I know a long time has passed, but we had a wonderful time together. It would make extremely pleased if you agreed to date me again."

For a moment, he looked so hopeful, so young. Like the wary boy I had met 50 years ago.

For a moment, I wondered if it would be such a bad idea.

Fortunately, I didn't have to respond because his sister cut in.

"Actually, Edward is not the only one who wants to say his piece, Bella." Alice continued, quickly, worried. Almost if she was afraid I would try to interrupt. No arguments from me there. "I too want a chance with you. I know we left some things unresolved, but please, give me one shot to make it right"

Or maybe the interruption was not so fortunate after all.

At least, both Jacob and Edward agreed with me there.

"Alice, correct me if I'm wrong, but we have already tried this once." I told her, after I took an unnecessary breath of fresh air. "You are married, as in not available." Actually, I think we had a conversation pretty close to this one. "I am not doing this again."

Desperate. It was how she looked.

"Actually no, Bel, I'm not." She pleaded, her puppy eyes looking up at me.

"Not what?"

"Married." Alice completed, apparently relieved to have finally been able to share that information. "I'm not married anymore."

Wait.

"What?"

"I'm divorced" She explained. "Or not exactly, because there is no actual record of Jasper and I ever getting married in this century, but the point is we are no longer together."

"What? Why?"

Does this sound repetitive for you? Because it is starting to sound incredibly repetitive to me.

Actually, this is starting to remind when I human and everyone just knew what was best for me and only shared this kind of information when they deemed it necessary. Needless to say, I didn't like very much where this conversation was going.

It was making me confused, and angry. And a whirlwind of emotions I couldn't even describe.

"There were various reasons, Bella, the main one being I found out I wasn't in love with him. But rather with you." Her eyes were yet, almost if she were able to shed a tear.

Again, what?

I stood still, shocked with the news.

It couldn't be true, could it? After everything that happened, she wanted me to believe she loved me?

Was this a joke? A really sick one?

I looked towards Jake for help and realized he seemed torn, and a little angry. He looked undecided whether the not-hitting-a-girl rule applied to female vampires not trying to kill a human, or whether he was allowed to do to Alice what he had just done to Edward.

Regardless, he was spared the choice because once again we were interrupted.

"I believe Alice is being premature." Edward said, nervous "She doesn't actually know you like I do, Bella. The time we spent together. I knew you, we knew each other. You used to feel something for me. I can safely say I never stopped loving you." He finished, softly. "I still do. I love you."

"Edward, how about you try not telling me what I'm feeling." Alice bawled. I didn't even know she was capable of making this sound. "We were best friends for a long time. And our relationship" Wait, we had a relationship? "lasted almost as long as yours, Edward. You don't get to say what I feel for Bella"

"Well, Alice, excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical with your sudden realization. Were you not incredible confused not too long ago? Who says you won't change your mind once again?"

"I can say it without a doubt, Edward. I was confused once, but I'm not anymore. I love you, Bella. I will always love you" Is she going to break out in a song? Because that just can't do.

Or is it too soon to be making Whitney Houston's jokes?

"_I_ love you, Bella" Edward once again interrupted.

Don't they just sound like two weeping children?

My anger was growing and this was getting nowhere.

"No, I lo-"

"That's enough!" Jacob bellowed. "Neither of you gets to say this like nothing has happened! Neither of you saw her while she moved about alone and without any kind of guidance! You claim to love her, but neither of you was there for her for the past 5 decades."

"But you think you are, right, Jacob?" Edward completed. They had given up trying to keep it down. I would so have to hear it from my neighbors in the morning. At least, Emily was a heavy sleeper, well not really. But, let's hope she doesn't wake up. "That's what's in your mind. You think YOU are what she needs, the one worthy of her."

Oh, no. Not another one.

"Yes, I do." Great. I couldn't even pretend I had something to say to this. "At least we know I won't turn my back on her at the first sight of a problem."

Can this night get any weirder?

If they all thought, they were just gonna shove all this information down my throat and expect me to react, they were very much mistaken. Did they imagine they would say all this and I would tell them all I always loved them like it was an everyday occurrence?

I couldn't deal with it. I didn't_want_ to deal with it.

But on a completely unrelated matter, apparently the comment hit quite close to home, because both vampires had the decency of looking ashamed.

"It won't happen again. I promise you" Alice finally spoke, staring right at me.

"I'm pretty sure you told your ex-husband the same thing a few years or months ago. Maybe even days." Jacob replied, bitterly.

"Actually, he hasn't heard it in half a century, if you must know. The moment you left us, Bella, I knew. I knew I loved you. We started looking for you; I was desperately looking for you. But I couldn't see you. I still can't see your future"

"That's to be expected, I suppose" It was the only part of her sentence I could focus on right now. I didn't know what I would do if I started thinking of the rest.

"What?" She asked, urgently.

"You can't see my future; I have yet to meet a vampire whose powers work on me."

"Was that all you heard from what I just said?" For a moment I felt sorry, she looked heartbroken.

But it was like my mind wouldn't keep quiet anymore. I was assaulted with images from the past. From when I was human, from after I was turned.

"That's the only part that's important." Jacob concluded. "You are both done here."

"With all due respect, I don't think it's your decision to make Jacob." Edward intervened

"It certainly isn't yours" Jake replied.

"You are right" My ex-boyfriend continued "This decision should be Bella's, once she has enough information to make such a decision."

How could they just dump all of this on me? Without any kind of warning?

I wanted the numbness back. I didn't want to remember.

"And how do you propose she gets that information?" Jacob questioned.

"Well, I suppose we should get to talk to her, without anyone else interrupting, for starters." It was Edward's idea. "Also, it's not exactly proper for you to spend the night in her bed."

If I could only get my brain to start working properly. How did I not see it? Was I always this blind?

"Well, and whose fault is it neither of you can do the same?" Jacob replied, smugly.

"Regardless, we should get some time to talk to her." Edward countered. "Alone, preferably"

It was like I couldn't focus on what was happening right in front of me. My head kept sending me back, searching for a reason, a clue.

"Then I guess we can work some time for each of us." Jacob affirmed, sounding a bit too sure of himself.

"In that case, I believe we have a deal" Edward accepted.

"Yes." And so did Jacob.

"Fine" Finally, Alice agreed. She had been silent ever since our last interaction, eyes downcast.

"Which one of us is the first to get a chance with Bella? And who is prepared to go last?" Edward asked.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Jacob suggested.

And with a shrug, they all agreed. Like they had the power to do so.

In the end, it was decided. Jacob first, Alice second and Edward third.

Was it just me, or in the end, I just got three dates with three different 'people' I had not asked for nor agreed to go?

* * *

><p>That's it.<p>

But, may I say this was a pretty long chapter?

I promise i'll post the next one as soon as i'm done with it...

Until then ;)

Please review.


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